Side door for box-cars.



W. J. BOHAN.

SIDE DOOR FOR BOX CARS. APPLICATION FILED SEPI. 29, 19H5.

Patented Nov. 6, 1917.

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APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 29, 19H5. 1,245,666.

Patented Nov. 6, 1917.

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WILLIAM J. BOHAN, OF ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA.

SIDE DOOR FOR BOX-CARS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 6, 191'?.

Application led September 29, 1916. Serial No. 122,853.

To all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, l/VILLIAM J. BoHAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Paul, in the county of Ramsey and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Side Doors for Box- Cars; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

Generally stated, my invention has for its object to provide an improved side door for box cars, and to such ends, the invention consists of the novel construction and combination of parts hereinafter described and defined in the claims. n

In practice, it has been found that the ordinary side doors provided in standard 2 box cars are so narrow that automobiles and various other machines of considerable length, either cannot be placed in box cars at all, or if they can be, it is only by difcult manipulation and loss of time.

My invention provides a very wide doorway, and for closing the same, a sectional door made up of sections arranged to slide, one over the other, to open the doorway, and to be extended, one beyond the other, to close the doorway. Preferably, there are two door sections, and each door section is made approximately the width of an ordinary side door such as now used in standard freight cars. Means is also provided whereby the inner door section may be locked in a closed position and thereby made to act as a part of the side of the car, while the outer door section may be slid to and from closed position, and hence, used after the manner of an ordinary sliding car door.

The present form of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying dia\\'ings \vhere in like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation with some parts sectioned and some parts broken away, showing the body of a box car having the wide doorway in each side and each doorway equipped with my improved sectional door;

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section taken on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1, some parts being broken away;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1, but showing the outer d oor section slid over the inner door sectlon;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view in side elevation showing the upper and lower intermedlate'portions of the two door sections and assoclated parts of the side of the car; and

Fig. 5 is a detail in section on the line 5 5 of Fig. 4.

The box car body is indicated, as an entirety, by the numeral 6 and it is formed with the wide door opening between door posts 7. The numeral 8 indicates a metal Z-bar such as usually employed and which is secured in the customary way to a side plate or beam 9 that extends across the top of the door opening.

The numeral 10 indicates the side sills and the. numeral 11 the cross sills ofthe car, which parts may be of the usual construction. The numeral 12 indicates a horizontal track plate that is rigidly secured to brackets 1 3, which, in turn, are rigidly secured to the side sills 10. This track plate 1'2, at its outer edge, has an upturned guard flange, and inward of said guard flange is provided with a longitudinal guide bar 14 that extends from end to end thereof. The track plate 12 extends longitudinally of the car below the door opening and to a point at one side of the door opening a little more than one-half the width of said doorway.

The top guide plate 15 is secured to the bar 8 and in a direction longitudinally of the car, is approximately co-extensive with the track plate 12. rIhis top guide plate affords a combined guide plate and housing and is provided with a depending longitudinally extended partition plate or flange 16. Also a combined wearing and guide plate 16a is secured to the Z-bar 8 and is spaced inward of the partition plate 16. The two door sections, except as hereinafter noted, are substantially identical construction and preferably, each is made up of a marginal rectangular angle iron frame 17 and a corrugated sheet metal panel 1S riveted, or otherwise. rigidly secured to the respective frame. At their lower edges, the two door sections are provided with depending wheel brackets 19 equipped with small wheels or rollers 20 arranged to run on the track plate 12. The wheels of the outer door section are arranged to run on the said track plate outward of the guide bar 14, while the wheels of the inner door section are arranged to run on said track plate just inward of said guide bar. The upper edge of the outer door section works between the partition plate 16 and the depending outer flange of the upper guide plate 15, while the upper edge of the inner door section works between said partition plate and the wearing plate 16a. rIhe two door vsections are thus arranged to slide in different planes so that the one may be moved over the other but in close proximity thereto, nearly, but not quite in contact therewith;

As best shown in Figs. 2 and 5, the right hand vertical angle bar 17 of the outer door section is arranged to engage the left hand angle bar 17 of the inner door section when the said outer door section is slid toward the left orI toward ya closed position far enough to effect such engagement. Obviously, when these two angle bars are engaged and the left hand door section is moved onward toward the left the right hand or inner door section will be caused to move therewith from an open into a closed position. When the outer door section reaches its eXtreme closed position, its left hand edge is brought against the outwardly projecting flange or portion of the stop plate 21 that is rigidly secured to the left hand door post- 7. At the inner surface of its left hand edge, the outer door section is provided with an inwardly projecting lug or surface 22, which, when moved to the left hand or forward edge of the inner door section,i engages the same and causes the said inner door section to travel toward the right or toward an open position with the said outer door section. rlhe two door sections then move as if one until they reach the completely open position. The overlapping engagement between the twol door sections forms weather proof joints as well as the interlocking stop.

For locking the outer door section in a closed position, it may be provided at its left hand edge with a projecting staple arranged to work through a slot in the stop plate 21. When a pad lock or. 'vice is applied through the projecting port-ion of this staple 23, the said outer door section will be locked in its closed position, and, by engagement of the overlapping flanges of the two door sections the said inner door section will also be locked in its closed position.

The panels of the two door sections are preferably provided with overlapping horizontal combined stit'eners and guide plates 24, best shown in F ig. 3. These overlapping plates 2e do not in any wise interfere with the independent sliding movements of the two door sections, but they tie the same together and against lateral bulging movements, and furthermore, prevent spreading of the doors by car thieves.

For locking the inner" door section in a sealing de- Lacasse closed position while the outer door section is free for movements to and from open positions, the said inner door section, at its left hand or forward edge is provided with a projected staple 25 that is arranged to work through a slot in adoor stop 26 that is rigidly secured to the track plate 12 in line with the inner door section, but out of line with the outer door section. When a wedge or similar device 27 is driven through the projecting portion of the staple 25, the said inner door section will be securely locked in its closed position. 1f desired, this staple wedge and stop may be duplicated at the upper portion of the doorway, and as shown, this upper staple stop and Wedge are indicated, respectively, at- 25a, 26a and 27 a. rlhe Said upper stop 26Z1 is secured to the Z-bar 8 and is alined with the inner door section, but out of line with the outer door section.

Obviously, when the inner door section is locked in a closed position, the outer door section may be freely moved to and from open position and the ear then used in the usual way. 1When an automobile, or the like, is to be run into or out of the car, both door Sections may be easily slid into open positions, thereby giving the required very wide door opening necessary for free natural movements of the machine into and out of the car.

What ll claim is:

1. The combination with a car body having a door opening, of a door made up of a plurality of sections, the said sections being arranged to slide in different planes and to be moved into open positions with said sections overlapping each other, the said door sections having engaging' portions causing one section to follow the other when moved into closed positions and permitting said sections to be moved side by side into open positions, and means cooperating with the inner door section at the forward edge thereof and below the ioor level of the car for locking said section in its closed position.

2. The combination with a car body having a door opening, of a door made up of a plurality of sections, the said sections being arranged to slide in different planes, and to be moved into open positions with the said sections overlapping each other, the said door sections having engaging portions causing the one section to follow the other when moved into closed positions and permitting the said sections to be moved side by side into open positions, means, coperating with the inner door section at the forward edge thereof, for locking `the inner door section in a closed position while permitting the outer door section to be moved to and from closed position, said means heing so located as to render the iioor of the Si car unobstructed at the door opening, and independent means or locking the said outer door section in a closed position.

3. The combination with a car body having a door opening, of a door made up of a multiplicity of sections, the said sections being arranged to slide in diierent planes and to be moved into open positions with the said sections overlapping each other, the said door sections, at their intermediate ortions having overlapping combined sti ening and iding plates extended in the direction ot the travel thereof, and permitting independent movements of the two door sections.

In testimony whereof ax my signature in presence of two witnesses.

W ELLIAM J. BOHAN.

Witnesses:

vH. J. HENNESSY, J. M. SwnNsoN. 

